The soccer team's worth was ranked higher than the New York Yankees, New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Cubs and other U.S.-based franchises.

And in ESPN's fourth annual list of the biggest names in sports released in March, Messi ranked No. 3 behind fellow soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo at No. 1 and NBA legend LeBron James at No. 2.

FC Barcelona — also known as Barca — remains one of the most widely supported teams in the world. The club also has one of the largest social media following in the world among sports teams, with more than 72 million followers on Instagram.